House Veritas
'''House Veritas '''is a Great House hailing from the Peaceful Lakes, centred in Dolos, the City of Shadows. Dolos itself is a sprawling city, having been built over the course of many centuries. Its proximity to the Great Western Thoroughfare has made the city a great centre of trade, and it is lively all year round, experiencing only the mild winters of the more northern reaches of Andralon. Though order is well maintained in more populous parts of Dolos, there are many winding back streets in which visitors who stray may become easily lost. History Glorificus Veritas, eponymous founder of this great house, is said to have risen from the glassy waters of Lake Kathreptis, and strode ashore, making camp in the place where the city now stands. As the city expanded through the ages, various High Councils have attempted to keep it enclosed safely within walls, as the political climate of Andralon has not always seemed stable to them. Thus Dolos has seven rings of walls within the city, and they measure its age much like the rings of a tree. The largest of these walls is the second wall, or the Lakewall, which was built during the clan wars, and its western edge borders the lake Kathreptis The City of Shadows is governed by a powerful council of three, and seats are passed down to the firstborn of each line. The current High Council is headed by Chancellor Ilyria, Chancellor Iolanta and Chancellor Atilla. All Chancellors of the high council of Dolos are somewhat related, and though the three ruling lines are considered to be separate families now, they do all trace their lineage back to the founder of the city, Glorificus. The High Council of House Veritas appoints several nobles from their lands to carry out the more practical aspects of governance. Those appointed to the higher echelons of the city's power structure, though of course keepers of substantial wealth in their own right, also tend to be ambitious and highly motivated. House Veritas does not keep court in the traditional sense, and the most trusted of advisors must achieve prominence by demonstrating cunning, loyalty and of course, they must actively bring revenue into the city through various merchant ventures. Fauna The Peaceful Lakes is remarkable in that it is the only province of Andralon where the elusive werecat has ever been sighted. Though these creatures appear harmless, the low rate of sightings may be accounted for by their vicious nature and venomous saliva. Their saliva is famously the ingredient of the rare and fatal poison, moonseed, or the Werecat's Folly. The effects of the poison are many and varied, but almost always result in some kind of madness in the poisoned person, causing them to seek their own demise. Many historians posit that use of the poison is far more common than is generally accepted, but due to the mode of death, often goes undetected. Before he lost his mind, Morrovol, Chief Archivist even suggested that the long history of madness in the Veritas line was more likely due to use of moonseed. He flung himself from the North Tower some weeks later. Prominent Family Members *Chancellor Ilyria (Rosie) *Chancellor Iolanta (Emma) *Chancellor Attila (Harry) Major Vassals *General Bellona *Treasurer Plutus *Libentina Palm